The Significance of Natural Antioxidants in Cancer Supportive Care
Helping you understand “how these antioxidants can truly support your treatment”
During cancer treatment, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted therapy target the tumour but also generate large amounts of free radicals and reactive oxygen species, causing damage to normal cells, fatigue, neurotoxicity, and immune suppression.
Natural antioxidants (such as vitamin C, glutathione, alpha-lipoic acid, curcumin, Reishi polysaccharides, quercetin, etc.) play a key role in supportive therapy.
They not only quickly neutralise free radicals and reactive oxygen species produced during treatment but also act from multiple angles — cellular energy, neuroprotection, inflammation regulation, and immune balance — helping the body stay as stable as possible under high-intensity treatment, allowing patients to endure side effects with more strength, maintain tolerance, and improve overall quality of life.
These natural antioxidants support the body on multiple levels, alleviating the burden of treatment and enabling patients to better withstand side effects during chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or targeted therapy while maintaining good tolerance and quality of life. They not only rapidly neutralise free radicals and reactive oxygen species from treatment but also act from various perspectives including cellular energy, neuroprotection, inflammation regulation, and immune balance, helping the body remain as stable as possible under intense therapy.
Common specific supportive mechanisms include
- Powerful clearance of free radicals and reactive oxygen species: effectively slows treatment-induced oxidative stress and cell apoptosis, protecting normal tissues from further damage
- Protection of mitochondrial function: maintains normal cellular energy metabolism, significantly relieving extreme fatigue, brain fog, and overall weakness
- Reduction of chronic inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, NF-κB, etc.): suppresses systemic inflammatory responses, improving the “low-grade fever” state and related pain or joint discomfort
- Neuroprotection: alleviates common chemotherapy neurotoxicity, numbness/tingling in hands and feet, stabbing pain, and cognitive impairment, helping patients maintain better mental clarity and daily function
- Immune balance support: enhances NK-cell and T-cell activity, helping the body better resist infection risks and residual tumour cells
- Improvement of intestinal mucosal barrier: reduces chemotherapy-induced intestinal toxicity, diarrhoea, and absorption issues, allowing nutrients to be utilised more effectively
Different antioxidants’ supportive focuses
Different natural antioxidants have distinct strengths in cancer supportive care, and physicians select appropriate combinations based on the patient’s condition:
- Vitamin C: high-dose intravenous infusion generates selective oxidative stress that burdens tumour cells while strongly protecting normal cells
- Glutathione: crosses the blood-brain barrier, particularly effective in reducing brain fog, neurotoxicity, and liver/kidney damage
- Alpha-lipoic acid: regenerates other antioxidants, specifically relieves nerve pain and fatigue
- Curcumin: inhibits the NF-κB pathway, reducing inflammation and intestinal toxicity
- Reishi polysaccharides: enhances immune activity, improving sleep and mood
- Quercetin: antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, helps reduce vascular and tissue damage caused by treatment
But antioxidants are not suitable for everyone
Although the benefits are clear, tumour responses to antioxidants are highly individual:
Some tumours may utilise antioxidants as a protective mechanism, reducing treatment sensitivity;
Others may be sensitive to specific antioxidants, with noticeable inhibitory effects after supplementation.
Therefore, “one-size-fits-all” supplementation may be ineffective or even counterproductive in certain cases.
Want to know which antioxidants are truly suitable for you?
RGCC Onconomics Plus® is the key tool
Traditional nutritional advice is often “generally beneficial”, but tumour responses to natural antioxidants are highly individual.
RGCC Onconomics Plus® functional testing is designed to address this issue.
A single blood draw directly analyses tumour cell inhibition and sensitivity to over 30 natural compounds, including vitamin C, glutathione, alpha-lipoic acid, curcumin, Reishi polysaccharides, quercetin, etc.,
helping your physician precisely determine:
- Which antioxidants have the strongest inhibitory effect on your tumour, allowing safe prioritisation
- Whether there is a risk of them being “diverted” or ineffective, requiring dose adjustment or temporary avoidance
- The tumour’s dominant signalling pathways, making the supportive plan more targeted and avoiding unintended “assistance”
Summary
The significance of natural antioxidants in cancer supportive care is not “the more the better”,
but rather “whether they are truly helpful for your specific tumour”.
When you understand your personalised response through testing, supplementation shifts from “probably useful” to “genuinely useful”,
enhancing treatment tolerance, reducing side effects, and improving quality of life.
If you are considering natural antioxidant supplementation, or want to know which ones are most suitable for your current tumour condition,
please feel welcome to contact us at any time.
Our medical team will review your treatment stage and latest blood results, and your specialist physician will assess the most suitable supportive options for you, including RGCC Onconomics Plus® testing, helping you transform support into real strength in the most reassuring way.
You deserve every supportive choice to be used in the most appropriate place.
Disclaimer：
The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, nor should it replace professional medical advice. Readers are encouraged to consult with a qualified healthcare provider or integrative oncology specialist before making any changes to their diet, treatment plan, or lifestyle based on the content herein. Therapies and tests mentioned, including immune or integrative treatments, should always be…
All product names, test references, and therapy mentions are for informational context only and do not constitute endorsement. Results and experiences may vary among individuals.